2009 Tundra Code P0011 - SOLVED

2009 Tundra DC SR5 - 5.7L Flex
Posting this for those that may someday have the same issue that I had:

So the '09 tends to sit for a week or so without being driven since I'm also now the owner of a 2025 Platinum. I think the sitting and not running is what caused this issue.

Short story long, I recently got a check engine light, traction control lights, and flashing 4LO.
Code came up P0011 = intake camshaft is either over-advanced or there's a system performance issue on Bank 1.

Truck would start and run fine, but after it threw the code, the truck would run rough at idle and then throw more codes ... P0016, P0301, P0303, P0305, P0307 ... according to a quick google search "a correlation issue between the crankshaft and camshaft positions, often due to timing chain stretch, sensor problems, or incorrect timing chain installation" ... misfire on cylinders #1, 3, 5, 7 (Bank 1)

Truck only has 168K so I was almost certain it's not a timing chain issue.
Oil is changed regularly and was changed recently so not a dirty oil issue.
After doing some research, I surmised that it was probably a Variable Valve Timing (VVT) solenoid issue.
From what my tiny brain can understand, these electric solenoid valves open and close to change the oil pressure at the camshaft and somehow change the timing of the valves. One for intake and one for exhaust (per cam) ... so there are 4 of these VVT solenoids total. Seems like as the engine warms up, the VVT valve opens (or closes?) and one of these things was not working.

I ended up changing the both VVT solenoids on the drivers side (Bank 1) and that has fixed it.

The job was fairly easy as these are located right on top of the valve cover and very easy to get to. Unplug and one 10mm bolt. The only snafu was that east-coast corrosion had them stuck in there pretty good. I was able to twist them back and forth while spraying PB Blaster on them to loosen the grip. One came out whole but the lower one came out in pieces. New ones dropped right in, no issue.

I used Walker Products 590-1027 (x2) ... but there are lots of other aftermarket brands available.

 

Thanks, I have a surging issue and just bought all 4 VVT solenoids because someone reported fixing it that way. I have 122k. I'll be installing them soon. I have no code, just surging. The other guy had surging and no code for a while then the same code as you I think. So these things do go bad and probably should just be replaced every 100k.

 

There are numerous reasons for the cam position solenoids to set codes. For example very dirty oil deposits can clog them, and also engine low oil flow or pressure. I had a problem like that with the 2013 Tundra 5.7L TRD Off Road (inherited from my oldest son in 2023), and the culprit was a collapsed engine oil cartridge (filter). It seems that my son had been using an aluminum filter housing that did not have the perforated aluminum tube in the middle. The purpose of this tube is to support the oil cartridge up/down through the middle, so if the tube is not there the cartridge collapses in the middle (looks somewhat like an hourglass or guitar shaped). When this happens the engine lacks sufficient oil pressure for the oil to flow through the solenoids at full force.

I did replace the four solenoids, but the codes came back a few minutes after. That's when, after a lot of time of researching, I found out that the oil filter cartridge was collapsed. I left the new solenoids installed, and saved the original solenoids just in case. I believe I paid about $20.00 per each solenoid sold at Amazon